Paperboard cartons for carrying bottles have been used in the packaging industry for some time. The various configurations of these cartons, however, have exhibited numerous problems and shortcomings, not the least of which has been the general lack of ease and comfort provided to persons lifting and carrying a carton filled with bottles. Other problems have related to the difficulty of assembling cartons around an array of bottles in a manner that is reliable and subject to efficient automation processes. It is to the provision of a paperboard carton that addresses these and other shortcomings that the present invention is primarily directed.